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Peruvian News and Events, June 1948

El Popular (Lima), 4 June 1948

With the newly operational destroyers Cano and De los Heros riding at anchor in the harbor of Callao Minister of Defense Zenon Noriega Aquero presided over the formal ceremonies marking the completion of the destroyers Larrea and Deganio. In his remarks Minister Noriega affirmed his confidence in the ability of the Armada’s latest vessels to undertake the duties of those vessels being sold to China, citing the reduction in regional tensions through better relations with Chile and Colombia.

The clerk from the embassy mail room dropped off the letter in the in-box of Commander Trevor Stevens, the naval attaché, that morning. It was not until the late afternoon that Stevens returned from Callao, where he was following up the matter of Peru’s sale of warships to China.

The letter was from the Department of the Navy, Bureau of Personnel. Stevens opened it and read with surprise the details of his next posting. He was to be relieved of his embassy duties in Lima but not, as was normal, reassigned to sea duty. He was directed to return to Washington as soon as possible for briefings prior to departing for Manila, where he would take up the duties of naval attaché there.

Picking up the telephone he called Smythe, the ambassador’s secretary, to ask for an appointment, in order to apprise Pawley of the news. When he had accomplished that, he reflected that leaving the backwater of Peru for the more important post in the Philippines might not be such a bad thing.

The many informants who supplied the Brazilian and Colombian authorities in the Tres Fronteras with ‘intelligence’ vied with each other regarding their speculative interpretations of what they saw, or heard, or imagined. Sifting out the truth from the chaff often reduced such authorities to tears or drove them to the local cantina. But this much was true – more of the swift motor launches had arrived to lend greater mobility to the Peruvian 2ª Brigada de Infantería de Marina – a pair of them had even made an official call at Loreto, where the Colombian were permitted to inspect them.

The work of the Military Rural Settlement Units had fostered the growth of many new hamlets and villages throughout the region – attracting settlers from other parts of Peru and increasing commerce throughout the upper Amazon; the Peruvian clinics in the immediate border areas even attracted patients from across the fluid borders – treating them on an equal basis. The growing number of Peruvian-flag cargo ships arriving at Iquitos brought an increasing quantity of manufactured goods for the local markets, and carried out of the region cargos of timber, rubber, and other valuable forest commodities.

The obvious intention of the Peruvian Government to raise the standard of living of its citizens brought forth invidious comparisons from those living on the other side of those same fluid borders at the seeming inaction of their own governments. Cables to Bogota, and to Manaus and Rio, brought only promises after lengthy silence. Thus news that a group of Europeans had arrived at Iquitos to begin surveys along the Peruvian Amazon sparked new concerns. What might be next?

Peruvian News and Events, July 1948

There is little to report regarding the Peruvian Army and Air Force since my last report. However there has been much activity on the part of the Peruvian Navy.

The Servicios Industriales de la Marina yard at Callao has begun work on numerous warships. Two more fleet destroyers of the Cano-class have been laid down, as well as two corvettes of a new design. My sources indicate that the new destroyers are intended to replace those to be sold to China, and that the corvettes are expected to replace the older torpedo boats being transferred as well.

Taken in hand for refitting are the heavy cruiser Almirante Grau, the battlecruiser Almirante Villar, and the light cruiser Ancash – reflecting a commitment of the Peruvian navy modernization. The eight destroyers and eight torpedo boats have been paid off for transfer – which has officially scheduled for October.

In a surprise move two of the Peruvian Navy’s large destroyer leaders are being scrapped – the Independencia and the Union have begun demolition in the Callao yard. It is probable that the remaining pair of the Independencia-class will follow in the coming months. Three small minelayers are also to be scrapped.

Reliable reports suggest that the Peruvian Government has entered into discussions with that of the Argentine regarding the purchase by the latter of the small aircraft carrier Lima. The Lima, acquired but a few years ago from Italy, was once seen as the centerpiece of Peru’s naval renaissance; now it seems that Peru, recognizing its limitations, is giving up the grandiose dreams it once had of competing head to head with its Chilean neighbor. The matter of the potential disposal of the Lima follows hard upon the sale to China of numerous older Peruvian warships. What remains is far better suited to protecting Peru’s regional interests and supplementing the nation’s inadequate rail and road infrastructure.

Iquitos, 10 July 1948

Carlos Echeverri Cortés, Colombian consul in the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon, had long kept his government informed of what he saw regarding Peru’s efforts to develop the trade and overall economic viability of the distant and hard to reach region. He hoped that by concentrating its efforts to develop the territories it had that Lima might be persuaded to cease its interests in that part of the upper Amazon claimed by his own country. Thus far that seemed to be the case.

At first he paid little attention to the arrival in the city of a party of German technicians and engineers, until word reached his ears of their purpose – surveying for a site at which to construct a floating dry dock. Since rumor had it that this project would be under the aegis of the Peruvian Navy it immediately set off alarm bells in his mind. While not an overt threat, if true it would mark a great step forward in Peruvian naval capabilities. His cable to Bogota confined itself to facts – as best he knew them – but he was assured that the Foreign Ministry would see the issue much as he.

The Ministerio de la Produccion has announced the conclusion of an agreement between the Empresa Nacional de Aviación and the Chinese Government, acting on behalf of China Southwest Airlines, for the sale to the airline of ten examples of the ENA C-25 Ponchito twin-engine civil transport. The Chinese Government has also acquired license rights to the local manufacture of the C-25 airframe. Deliveries of the aircraft to China are expected to commence in December of this year.

Engineer Felix Wankel read the preliminary report of the Iquitos survey team with interest. Six weeks ago he and a group of specialists sponsored by the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst had arrived in response to a request for technical assistance from the Peruvian Government. In frank imitation of the Entwicklungsdienst the Peruvians had already put into operation their scheme of Military Rural Settlement Units, which were doing good work across the country to improve rural health, agriculture, and local economies. No, Peru had asked for technical assistance in harnessing its natural resources to the betterment of the country as a whole, and Wankel had teams examining the possibility of large-scale irrigation works, development of unexploited mineral resources, and the potential for hydro-electric power. Among the most pressing need of the Peruvians was the improvement of communications with the Peruvian upper Amazon, the center of which was the river port of Iquitos.

Iquitos saw the coming and going of much river traffic – including ocean-capable vessels that made the long journey up the Brazilian Amazon from the Atlantic – but the city, cut off from the rest of Peru by high mountains – lacked many of the fundamental requisites of a proper port. To address this, the Peruvians had requested assistance in determining what new port facilities were required and – more to the point – how might such facilities be constructed.

The survey report told its own story – there was not sufficient depth of water in the vicinity of Iquitos to assure the operation of a normal graving dock. With the dint of dredging, however, a place could be found for the operation of a small floating repair dock – sufficient to maintain the smaller steamers that plied the upper Amazon. However, the cost of towing such a piece of infrastructure from Europe, all the way up the river to Iquitos, was prohibitive at best – even if political considerations were set aside.

As a reserve officer of the Kriegsmarine though Wankel believed he knew the solution to the problem. He was quite familiar with the use by the Kriegsmarine of modular pontoons for a variety of purposes during landing operations. By designing a dry dock on modular principles it would be easier to carry the pieces by cargo ship to Iquitos where they might be assembled piece by piece. It would take time to design the modules themselves and the fittings that would be required to assemble them, but he was confident it could be done. He quickly began to sketch his ideas upon a notepad…

The Ministry of Defense has confirmed press reports that the aircraft carrier Lima is to be sold to Argentina. The official transfer is to be carried out in January of 1949, during which time the air group of the Lima will transition to a land-based interceptor role, augmenting the air defenses of Callao and the capital.

The improving relations between Peru and its southern neighbor Chile made another step forward with the opening of talks in Santiago which may lead to the reopening of the Ferrocarril Tacna á Arica railway that would significantly improve economic prospects in the southern reaches of Peru. Closed due to the long-standing border dispute with Chile over the port of Arica, its re-opening would be a boost to both the agricultural and mineral exports of region, despite improvement made in recent years to the port of Matarani.

Peruvian News and Events, August 1948

Diario Oficial El Peruano (Lima), 4 August 1948

The cruiser Ancash returned to the fleet following her refit and modernization in the Callao dockyard of the Servicios Industriales de la Marina. She is due to be followed by her sister Amazonas, which will be taken in hand in October.

Demolition of the three DM-1 class coastal minelayers was completed yesterday in Callao and Matarani. Their demise marks the departure of that class of warship from the Peruvian Navy’s order of battle. There is speculation that a replacement type is contemplated, but there is no indication that the Armada has programmed any construction of that nature in its present plans.

The battlecruiser Almirante Villar has completed its refit in the dockyards at Callao. It will now undergo builders’ trials and operational training before returning to the fleet. The heavy cruiser Almirante Grau, which is undergoing a more extensive refit, will not leave the hands of the dockyards until sometime in October.

Consul Cortés kept his superiors in Bogota fully informed of the developments in the Peruvian Amazon, at least as best he knew.

He noted with concern the development of the local airport, which now boasted a German supplied Lorenz beam landing system for its runway – permitting night operations. For the moment this was of use primarily for the ever increasing civil air traffic into and out of the city. Aeroperu, the Peruvian state airline, now operated a daily service between Iquitos and Lima, in addition to freight charters, and had established ‘on-call’ local services in support of the Peruvian Army’s Military Rural Settlement Units.

Ocean-going freighters ascended the Amazon in ever-increasing numbers, and not all of them flew the Peruvian flag; some were European – the German HAPAG concern now boasted an agency in Iquitos, and others were from the United States, hauling machinery that was being used to tame the jungle and open up plantations. He had confirmed that the Peruvians were planning to construct a floating dry dock to support their naval operations in the region, and their riverine troops carried out long-distance patrols with increased frequency.

Publically, the Peruvians spoke only of rural development and economic improvement for its own citizens. Yet he continued to warn Bogota that the inhabitants of Leticia were drawn to the Peruvian city in growing numbers, as were Brazilians – they came to sell their produce for better prices and to buy goods they could not obtain on their own side of the border; they came to find jobs, for the increased pace of commerce and industry brought rising wages. If nothing were done it was clear to him that Peru would dominate the Tres Fronteras to the detriment of Colombian interests.

The Confederación de Trabajadores del Perú, meeting in Lima, elected a new general secretary yesterday, Douglas Figueroa Silva, who expressed the determination of his organization to seek wage equality in the public and private sectors. Asked for comment Minister of Employment and Social Security Pedro Manuel Venturo Zapata was quoted as saying, “I look forward to discussing this, and other subjects, with the General Secretary, and hope that we can agree upon a way forward to the objective of national restoration.”

Peruvian News and Events, September 1948

The Peruvian Times (Lima), 3 September 1948

The scrapping of the destroyer leaders Independencia and Union begins its final phase today as the hulks of both vessels are to be hauled into drydock at Callao for demolition. The ships’ armament and items suitable for reconditioning have already been removed; the hulls will be cut up to permit removal of machinery items before being recycling.

The first nucleus crews for the ex-Armada destroyers and torpedo boats sold to China have arrived to begin familiarization. Under the terms of the agreement between Peru and China, the latter will take delivery of the vessels beginning next month; it is expected that the transfer rate will depend upon the availability of Chinese crews to man them for a voyage to their new home.

The Oficina de Minas y Desarollo Minero announced today the discovery of significant recoverable gold deposits at Poderosa in La Libertad Department. A spokesman for the ministry suggested that when fully developed the deposits thus far discovered might yield more than two thousand kilograms of gold when properly exploited. There is widespread speculation that the ministry will create a new national company to mine the deposits.

The destroyers Confederacion and Republica entered the dockyards today to begin the process of paying off prior to disposal. The two ships are scheduled to commence stripping and demolition next month. The disposition of the relatively modern armament removed from these vessels has been a subject of debate in military circles, with suggestions brought forward regarding the strengthening of coastal defenses in the northern provinces.

The Ministry of National Defense has directed the Empresa Nacional de Aviación to commence design studies for a new advanced training aircraft for the Fuerza Aérea del Perú, with the expectation that a prototype aircraft might be flown sometime before the close of 1949. The directive includes the requirement that the aircraft be capable of light ground attack duties.